• KSBB Journal
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 2010

Six strains of Ralstonia eutropha were grown to investigate characteristics of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) synthesis from vegetable oils or glycerol. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) homopolymer was formed using soybean oil, olive oil, or glycerol as carbon source, while poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) or poly(3-hydroxybutyrateco-3-hydroxyvalerate) copolymers were synthesized by co-feeding $\gamma$-butyrolactone or pentanoic acid, respectively. Optimum strain was determined as R. eutropha KCTC 2662 in terms of final cell concentration and PHA content. From 20 g/L of soybean oil (optimum substrate), cell concentration and PHA content at 72 h ranged 1.7~9.2 g/L and 70~92 wt%, respectively.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 2005

The hydrolytic behavior of microbial poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]](P(3HB)) has been studied by using two model systems, Langmuir monolayer and solution-grown single crystals (SCs), for elucidating the mechanism for both alkaline and enzymatic degradations. An initial degradation of SCs of P(3HB) leads to breakup lamellae parallel to their short axis (b-axis). Similarly, ridge formation on the lamellar surface appears along the b-axis at lower quenching temperature than melting temperature. Both results support that the lamellar crystals contain less-ordered and more thermally sensitive regions along the b-axis. Although the enzymatic hydrolysis of P(3HB) monolayers was similar to its alkaline one, the enzymatic degradation of P(3HB) monolayers occurred at higher constant surface pressure than the alkaline degradation. This behavior might be attributed to the size of enzymes which is much larger than that of alkaline ions; that is, the enzymes need larger contact area with monolayers to be activated.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.603-606
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• 2005

Ralstonia eutropha NCIMB 11599 and ATCC 17699 were grown, and their productions of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] compared. In flask cultures of R. eutropha NCIMB 11599, cell concentration, P(3HB-co-4HB) concentration and polymer content decreased considerably with increases in the ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$ concentration, and the 4HB fraction was also very low (maximum 1.74 mol%). In fed-batch cultures of R. eutropha NCIMB 11599, glucose and ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$ were fed as the carbon sources, under a phosphate limitation strategy. When glucose was fed as the sole carbon source, with its concentration controlled using an on-line glucose analyzer, 86% of the P(3HB) homopolymer was obtained from 201g/L of cells. In a two-stage fed-batch culture, where the cell concentration was increased to 104g/L, with glucose fed in the first step and constant feeding of ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$, at 6g/h, in the second, final cell concentration at 67h was 106g/L, with a polymer content of 82%, while the 4HB fraction was only 0.7mol%. When the same feeding strategy was applied to the fedbatch culture of R. eutropha ATCC 17699, where the cell concentration was increased to 42 g/L, by feeding fructose in the first step and ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$ (1.5g/h) in the second, the final cell concentration, polymer content and 4HB fraction at 74h were 51g/L, 35% and 32 mol%, respectively. In summary, R. eutropha ATCC 17699 was better than R. eutropha NCIMB 11599 in terms of P(3HB-co-4HB) production with various 4HB fractions.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.130-140
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• 2018

In the bio-synthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)(PHB), which is a kind of poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)(PHA), aimed to control the low molecular weight of PHB and obtain a telechelic PHB. As a result of incubation of R. eutropha at $30^{\circ}C$ with ethylene glycol added as a chain transfer agent, PHB content on the dry cell weight increased up to 24h, however, it decreased after that, and the molecular weight of PHB increased from 9h to 12h, and then, decreased up to 72h. The decrease of the content and the molecular weight of PHB indicates that PHB was decomposed as an energy source in bacterial cells and was incorporated into metabolic pathways. $^1H-NMR$ of the obtained PHB after incubation for 72h was measured to determine the terminal groups of the PHB during incubation. As the results of $^1H-NMR$ measurement, the peaks derived from ethylene glycol in both terminals of PHB were observed. Which indicate that the terminal reaction was caused by the addition of ethylene glycol, and that telechelic PHB having hydroxyl group at the both terminals where molecular weight was controlled was successfully synthesized.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.363-368
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• 2017

Methylotrophy is able to use reduced one-carbon compound, such as methanol and methylamine, as a sole carbon source. Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 is the most extensively studied methylotroph utilizing serine-isocitrate lyase cycle. Because the Poly 3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthesis pathway in M. extorquens AM1 is likely to interlink with EMCP (ethylmalonyl-CoA pathway), glyoxylate, and TCA cycles, regulation of PHB production is needed to produce EMCP-derived acid or TCA acids. To adjust carbon flux to PHB production, PhaR, which seems to have function of regulator of PHB synthesis and acetyl-CoA flux, was knocked out in M. extorquens AM1 by using markerless gene deletion methods. As a result, PHB granules were remarkably reduced in the knockout strain ${\Delta}phaR$ compared to parental strain. Although lag phase was extended for 12h, ${\Delta}phaR$ showed similar cell growth and methanol consumption rate compared to wild type.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 1997

Biosynthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate and copolymer consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyvalerate [poly(3HB-co-3HV)] by Bacillus thuringiensis R-510 grown with glucose or with mixtures of glucose and propionate was investigated. n-Alkanoic acids other than propionate were not precursors of 3HV units. The fraction of 3HV unit in the copolymer increased from 0 to 84 mol% of 3HV. Polymer yield decreased as the fraction of propionate was increased but the molecular weight distribution was not affected by the composition of carbon substrate. The minimum melting temperature (around 65.deg.C) of poly (3HB-co-3HV) copolymers was observed for the polymer bearing approximately 35 mol% of 3HV. Polyhydroxyalkanoates production by this organism was not dependent on nutritional limitation, but remarkably influenced by dissolved oxygen concentration in the culture medium. Low level of dissolved oxygen concentration prevented spore formation in the cells and stimulated the synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate. The composition of poly (3HB-co-3HV) produced by B. thuringiensis R-510 lyhydroxyalkanoate. The composition of poly(3HB-co-3HV) propduced by B. thuringiensis R-510 varied according to the growth time. However, there was no evidence that polymers isolated from cells were mixtures of immiscible polymers.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.404-407
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• 2003

Two recombinant Escherichia coli strains, GCSC6576 harboring a plasmid pSYL107 containing the Ralstonia eutropha polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biosynthesis genes and a fadR atoC mutant LS5218 harboring a plasmid pJC4 containing the Alcaligenes latus PHA biosynthesis genes were compared for their ability to synthesize poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P(3HB-co-3HV) from whey. The 3HV fraction could be increased by acetic acid induction and oleic acid supplementation in flask cultures of recombinant E. coli GCSC6576. With the pH-stat fed-batch culture of recombinant E. coli LS5218, we obtained a cell concentration, a P(3HB-co-3HV) concentration, a P(3HB-co-3HV) content, and a 3HV fraction of 31.8 g/L, 10.6 g/L, 33.4%, and 6.26 mol%, respectively in 39 h.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.872-876
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• 2001

Topological changes caused by the alkaline and enzymatic attacks of solution-grown, chain-folded lamellar crystals (SGCs) of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] P(3HB) have been studied in order to investigate the chain-folding structure in P(3HB) crystal regions. NaOH and an extracellular PHB depolymerase purified from Alcaligenes faecalis T1 were used for alkaline and enzymatic hydrolysis, respectively. The measurements were performed on crystals attached to a substrate which is inactive to degradation mediums. Both alkaline and enzymatic attacks lead to a breakup of the lamellar crystals along the crystallographic b-axis during initial erosion. Since hydrolysis preferentially occurs in amorphous regions, this morphological result reflects relatively loosely packed chains in core parts of lamellar crystals. Additionally, it was supported by the ridge formation along the b-axis in the lamellar crystals after thermal treatment at a low temperature because of the thermally sensitive nature of the loosely packed chains in lamellar crystals. However, the alkaline hydrolysis accompanied the chain erosions or scissions in quasi-regular folded lamellar surfaces due to smaller size of alkaline ions in comparison to the enzyme, resulting in the decrease of molecular weight.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.19-25
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• 2006

Since the enzymatic degradation of microbial poly(hydroxylalkanoate)s (PHAs), such as poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] and poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate] initially occurs by a surface erosion process, their degradation behaviors can be controlled by the change of surface property. In order to control the rate of enzymatic degradation, plasma modification technique was applied to change the surface property of microbial PHAs. The surface hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of PHA films were introduced by $CF_3H$ and $O_2$ plasma exposures, respectively. The enzymatic degradation was carried out at $37^{\circ}C$ in 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) in the presence of an extracellular PHB depolymerase purified from Alcaligenes facalis T1. The results showed that the significant retardation of initial enzymatic erosion of $CF_3H$ plasma-treated PHAs was observed due to the hydrophobicity and the enzyme inactivity of the fluorinated surface layers while the erosion rate of $O_2$ plasma-treated PHAs was not accelerated.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.477-481
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• 2003

The community escape response of Rhodobacter sphaeroides is exerted through the action of CerR and CerI, which code for a LuxR-type regulatory protein and acylhomoserine lactone synthase, respectively. Deletion of chromosomal DNA including cerR and cerI (mutant RI) or insertional interruption of cert (mutant AP3) resulted in two-fold increase in the cellular poly-${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) content In comparison with the wild-type under aerobic growth conditions. The PHB synthase (PhbC) activities of the cer mutants were doubled, and the enzyme expression was regulated at the level of phbC transcription. Thus, CerR, possibly in response to autoinducer (AI), appears to modulate the PHB content of aerobically grown cells by downregulating phbC transcription.